Field House At Manchester High School "A Priority," Mayor Says

MANCHESTER — A plan for an indoor athletic facility at Manchester High School should move from concept to referendum within two years, Mayor Leo Diana said Tuesday.

The board of directors heard a presentation on the football field-size structure at a morning policy meeting in town hall.

Depending on the type of structure, the facility would cost $9.9 to $12.2 million, according to representatives of The SLAM Collaborative, an architectural company that has designed scholastic and recreational facilities throughout the nation, including the New Haven Athletic Center. Over a 20-year bond issue, the estimated cost would be up to $15.4 million.

Constructed on what is now the football practice field at the high school, the approximately 70,000-square-foot building would house an oval track, three or four basketball courts, locker rooms and seating for up to 1,700 spectators. The facility also could be used for sports such as indoor soccer and lacrosse and could host events such as the high school graduation, even concerts, officials said.

At the meeting, Diana said the field house "is a priority for me and a priority for the board."

"I think that facilities for high school athletes have been ignored for decades," he said after the meeting

Diana and board member Steve Gates also cited a severe shortage of facilities for local basketball and volleyball players.

"I think there's a huge demand out there for a lot more than we have to offer," Diana said.

Gates has lobbied for such a facility since the school board halted a 40-year tradition of indoor track practice in Manchester High School's hallways in 2010. Board members cited concerns about safety and liability after a $325,000 court settlement involving an East Lyme High School track team member who was hurt while practicing in the hallway.

The loss of a practice space has been "devastating" to the indoor track program, Gates said. But beyond providing space for local athletes, a new field house would bring in revenue and make Manchester "the health and fitness leader east of the river," Gates said.

Gates said he did not believe this project would dampen directors' enthusiasm for an indoor athletic complex on town-owned land on Broad Street. The vision for Broad Street is a much more substantial and privately funded development that would include facilities such as an aquatic center and hockey rink — "something the town could not build because of the price tag," Gates said.

The town would have three options on the field house structure — a "bubble," or air-supported building, which would be the cheapest to erect but the most costly to maintain; a rigid frame structure with a fabric exterior, next up in price; and a pre-engineered metal building, the most expensive to build but also more energy efficient and less costly to operate.

With operating costs and bond payments, the pre-engineered building would cost about $14.2 million over 20 years, compared with the rigid-frame/fabric-covered structure at $15.4 million and the air-supported structure at $15.1 million. Those costs include 1,500 spectator seats. Eliminating seating would decrease the cost. Seating would only be allowed in the framed structures because they can be equipped with sprinkler systems.

Also, since the field house would displace the football practice field, the town's costs would include construction of a synthetic turf field on the current playing field and a replacement track at a total cost of about $1.38 million, according to SLAM's presentation.